Caitlyn Jenner feels like "everything is in the right place" following her transition.
Caitlyn Jenner
The 70-year-old reality star was formerly known as Bruce Jenner before coming out as transgender in 2015, and has now revealed her battle with gender dysphoria began when she was just nine years old, when she would wear her mother's clothes because it "felt right".
She said: "By the time I was nine years old, I was struggling with my gender identity. I would sneak into my mother and sister's closets when nobody was around to try on their clothes, or go play with their makeup. I had no idea why I was doing it; it just felt right."
Caitlyn struggled with her gender identity until she was in her 60s, and says she thought she would spend her "whole life" hiding her true self from others.
She added: "I never thought that someday I would be able to live my life authentically, I thought I'd just have to deal with my identity my whole life.
"It wasn't until I was 63 years old looking back and realising I was dealing with the same issues I had when I was 9 that I wondered, 'What am I going to do with my life?' I finally got the guts to tell my story. It wasn't an easy decision, and it took a long time."
The 'I Am Cait' star - who has had six genetic children and four stepchildren - now says she isn't "struggling anymore", and finally feels "happy" with who she is.
Writing in a moving essay for Women's Health magazine as part of their 2020 Pride Month coverage, she explained: "No matter your situation, there's no right or wrong way to come out. But now, I wake up in the morning, and I look in the mirror, and everything finally feels like it's in the right place. I'm not struggling anymore. I'm happy."
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